Closure for books and similar articles



Aug. 22, 1933. ELSNER 1,923,081

CLOSURE FOR BOOKS AND SIMILAR ARTICLES Filed June 28, 1932 IN VEN TOR. M M

Patented Aug. 22, 1933 UNITED STATES CLOSURE FOR BOOKS AND SHVIILAR ARTICLES Andreas Elsner, Erlangen, Germany, assignor to New York Merchandise Co. Inc., New York, N. Y., a Corporation of New York Application June 28, 1932. Serial No. 619,671

6 Claims.

This invention relates to articles having hinged members and fastening means therefor. It is particularly directed to articles such as a book, wallet, box or the like article, and a device for retaining said article in closed condition.

An object of this invention is to provide an article of the character described having a hinged member and provided with highly improved means for locking said member against movement and retaining said article in closed position.

Another object of this invention is to provide an article of the character described, having in corporated therein, simple, compact and durabie means for'retaining the same in closed condition, which shall be inexpensive to manufacture, easy to manipulate, and practical and efiicient to a high degree in use.

Other objects of this invention will in part be obvious and in part hereinafter pointed out.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combinations of elements, and arrangement of parts which will be exemplifled in the construction hereinafter described, and of which the scope of application will be indicated in the following claims. I

In the accompanying drawing, in which is shown one of the various possible illustrative embodiments of this invention,

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an article embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of the article shown in Fig. 1 in open position with parts broken away to show the interior construction;

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 3- 3 of Fig. 2; and I Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 44 of Fig. 2.

Referring now in detail to the drawing, 10 designates an article embodying the invention, here shown for the purpose of illustration, in the form of a book, such as a diary or any other book having covers 11 and 12 joined by and hinged to a back portion 13, and leaves 14 between the covers. Attached to the outer surface of one of the covers 12 is a spring snap lock 16 of anylsuitable construction, preferably having a keyhole 17 for receiving a key to actuate the lock, and a slidably mounted releasing member 18 adapted to operate in the manner hereinafter appearing.

The covers 12 and 13 each comprise preferably a heavy card-board or other stiff sheet material 19 covered on the inside by a thin sheet 20 of paper or the like material and having the outer side thereof covered by a flexible sheet 21 of ering sheet 21.

nected by a flat co-planar portion 38 having leather or the like material, having edges 22 passing around the edges of said sheet 19. A soft filler 23 made of cotton or the like material may be interposed between the sheet 19 and the cov- Attached, as by pasting, to the 7 surface 25, however, of the stiff cardboard sheet 19 of the cover member 11, are a plurality of similar, parallel cardboard strips 26 and 27, disposed perpendicular to the outer edge 19a of said sheet 19. A strip 28 of fiat sheet material such as cardboard may likewise be pasted to said surface 25 of the shee 19, said strip 28 being disposed between and parallel to the strips 26 and 27 and being substantially equal in length thereto. There is thus formed a pair of parallel, similar grooves 29 and 30 between the strips 26, 27 and the central strip 28. Attached, as for example by pasting, to the inner surfaces 31 of the strips 26, 2'7 and 28, is a thin flexible sheet 32 of paper or the like material. slidably mounted on the cover 11 is a U-shaped member 33 made of flat sheet metal properly stamped and shaped to the form described hereinafter.

Said U-shaped member 33 is provided with a long arm 34, a short arm 35 parallel to the arm 34, and an interconnecting portion 36. The arm 34 comprises two parallel co-planar portions 34a and 34b interconnected by a flat portion 340. The portions 34a and 341) are slidably received within the grooves 29 and 30, respectively, and lie between the surface 25 of the cardboard sheet 19 and the flexible sheet 32. Preferably, the thickness of the metal of which the U-shaped member is made, is substantially equal to the thickness of the strips 26, 27 and 28. The interconnecting portion 340 is adapted to contact the rear edge 28a of the strip 28 upon projecting said member 33 to limit outward movement of said member. The portions 34a and 34b project through openings or cut away portions in the portion of the 7 covering sheet 21 which passes around the edge 19a of the sheet 19.

The portion 36 of said member 33 comprises parallel, co-planar portions 36a and 36b extending from the portions 341: and 34b, respectively. The short arm 35 of said member 33 comprises portions 35a and 35b extending from said portions 36a and 36b, respectively, and interconhooks 39 extending therefrom. The length of the portion 36 of said member 33 is preferably such that upon closing the book and pushing the member 33 inwardly, the hooks 39 will enter the openings in the lock 16 to permit the spring actuated members within the lock, well known in the art, to engage said hooks, said hooks being preferably releasable by slidably moving the member 18 to one side, as is well known in the art.

To open the book it is merely necessary to release the snap lock, grasp the portion 36 of the member 33 and pull said member outwardly sufficiently for the arm 35 to clear the cover member 12. The book may thereafter be opened.

Although the drawing herein illustrates a. book, it is well established that my invention may be incorporated in a wallet having a hinged or flexible cover, or a box having a hinged cover or member, or any other suitable article.

It will thus be seen that there is provided a device in which the several objects of this invention are achieved, and which is well adapted to meet the conditions of practical use.

As various possible embodiments might be made of the above invention, and as various changes might be made in the embodiment set forth, it is to be understood that all matter herein set forth or shown in the accompanying drawing is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having thus described my invention I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. An article having portions hinged to one another and a substantially rigid unitary U- shaped member having an arm slidably mounted on one of said portions and a second arm releasably engaging said otherportion of said article for attaching said hinged portions together, and means for locking said second arm to said other portion.

2. An article having a hinged portion, a snap lock attached to another portion of said article, and a substantially rigid U-shaped member having a relatively long arm slidably mounted on said hinged portion and a relatively short arm having hook portions adapted to engage said snap lock for retaining said article in closed position.

3. A book having a pair of covers and leaves between said covers, and a substantially rigid member having an arm slidably mounted on one of said covers, a second arm releasably engaging said other cover, and a portion interconnecting said arms, and means for locking said second arm to said other cover.

4. A book having a pair of covers, a U-shaped member having a long arm slidably mounted on one of said covers and a short arm adapted to releasably engage said other cover for retaining the book in closed position, and means for fastening said short arm to said other cover.

5. A book including a pair of covers, a snap lock attached to the outer side of one of said covers, a substantially rigid U-shaped member having a long arm slidably mounted on the other of said covers, and a short arm having hook portions adapted to engage said snap lock.

6. A book including a pair of covers, one of said covers having attached thereto three par allel strips forming a pair of grooves perpendicular to the outer edge of said cover, and a U- shaped member having a relatively long arm provided with spaced parallel portions slidably received within said grooves, and a portion interconnecting said spaced portions and adapted to contact the rear edge of the central one of said strips, to limit outward sliding movement of said member, said U-shaped member having a second relatively short arm adapted to engage said other cover.

ANDREAS ELSNER. 

